Shea Leavis, Class of 2017, and Hallie Christine, Class of 2015, are shown in a scene from “Blood Wedding,” which is being performed weekends through April 19 at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs.

SARATOGA SPRINGS >> The Department of Theater at Skidmore College is offering the community a rare theatrical experience. Starting Friday night and continuing weekends through April 19, the Saratoga Springs college is presenting a stage presentation of “Blood Wedding,” a play not often produced — at least not in the United States.

It was written by Spanish playwright Federico Garcia Lorca in 1933. In 1936, at the start of Spanish Civil War, Lorca was assassinated at the age of 38. The belief is he was killed because of his political leanings. Some, however, suggest his sexual orientation had something to do with his murder.

The Skidmore production is being co-directed by faculty member Carolyn Anderson and resident guest artist Will Bond who say that though Lorca is considered the most important Spanish poet and dramatist of the 20th century, he is not well-known in this country.

They hope this production will shed some light on both the playwright and one of his most important plays. The production is termed a staged adaptation, but Anderson quickly points out that the play will strictly adhere to the text.

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“We say every word,” she insists.

Bond explained that the adaption refers to what might be considered a framing device for the play.

They have added moments in which Lorca is present on stage and offers background for the situation taking place in the play.

That background informs the audiences about the political climate that exists throughout the country. The pair believes this information brings added tension and a sense of claustrophobia to the proceedings.

“There is a feeling that the doors might be broken down any minute by authorities. This adds to the intensity of the drama,” says Bond. He adds, “It also makes the student performers understand the urgency their characters who have to act on their passions. There is a sense the characters do not have the luxury of time. If they are to be with the person they love, the feeling is they must act now.”

Anderson sees another plus for including Lorca in the presentation. “The audience gets to meet, know and understand Lorca the man. He was not only a great poet and playwright. He had a passion for the world of theater. He was an actor and a director as well as a playwright,” she says.

They both agree that it is important for them to create what they refer to as “the landscape of the play.”

They point out the themes of tradition, passion and violence are acerbated in a rural setting; a setting that exists in a time of change caused by outside influences.

The play is essentially about a love triangle that turns tragic.

“The psychological undercurrents are best understood when the characters are placed in an emotional caldron of passion and desire,” says Anderson. “It creates a dangerous climate where one feels that one must act immediately on their passions. To wait might mean you lose your opportunity for love.”

Though “Blood Wedding” is a large play with more than two dozen characters, Bond says, “The work is intensely intimate.”

To add to the tension, they are presenting the work without an intermission.

It should run about 90 minutes, estimates Bond. “It just builds emotional tension until everyone is about to explode. It is amazingly theatrical.”

Anderson and Bond have developed a mutual admiration society.

Bond says he is an actor who is directing and appreciates Anderson’s years of experience working with students at Skidmore.

On the other hand, Bond was a founding member of SITI, a theater company created by Anne Bogart and Tadashi Suzuki.

The company, which has an annual summer residence at Skidmore, is devoted to exploring movement in theater.

Says Anderson, “Will has done all the choreography. He has brought a physical world to the play that supports the beautiful poetry that Lorca created. This is a production that has all the elements of great theater — beautiful language, visual beauty and movement, all of which support of a passionate story.”